Electronic systems require signal carrying cables to transmit signals to and from the system. Many of these systems utilize discrete wire coaxial cables because of their relatively small diameter. These cables comprise a center signal carrying conductor and outer electrically conductive foil to provide shielding and a drain wire connected to the foil to maintain the foil at a reference potential.
Particularly useful are coaxial cable connectors which provide connection of these cables to printed circuit boards. One type of these connectors is mounted to a printed circuit board by soldering. Douty, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,442 relates to such electrical connector having a feature which permits it to be secured to the housing of the printed circuit board. The connector is mountable on the surface of the printed circuit board and comprises a dielectric housing having a mounting face and a mating face perpendicular thereto. The housing has contact passages extending rearwardly from the mating surface. The connector also includes a plurality of contacts secured in the passages and extending beyond the mounting face. Each of the contacts has a contact section connectable to corresponding circuit paths on the printed circuit board. The connector also includes a clip-receiving recess in the housing. Each clip-receiving recess includes a pair of spaced channels which define pairs of closely spaced opposed stop surfaces. Each pair of spaced channels is recessed from the mounting face and extends substantially parallel thereto. Included also is a solder clip insertable into each of at least one clip-receiving recess and extending between channels. The solder clip has a pair of side edges dimensioned to be received in the pair of spaced channels and moveable there along during insertion to thereby secure the solder clip to the housing when the side edges of the solder clip are received between the opposing stop surfaces of the pair of spaced channels. The solder clip can be attached to the housing subsequent to fabrication thereof, and when the solder clip is soldered to a printed circuit board, it functions as a mechanical retention feature that prevents lateral forces applied to the connector from rotating the connector away from the printed circuit board. Desirable would be a connector for a cable assembly which would permit a cable, terminated in a female connection, to be connected via a solderable connector to a printed circuit board. Further desirable would be a connector for a female terminated cable assembly which would provide a compression mating of solder terminals to respective traces of the printed circuit board. The connector of the present invention meets these desired objectives and further provides a structure for targeting the spot connection between solder terminal and trace. With the connector of the present invention, the point of contact of a solder terminal is maintained under compression and at the precise location of desired connection with the trace.